I received these fig cuttings from a friend, they are all Portuguese varieties. Was wondering if anyone was growing them or heard of them.

Mel do Algarve, Bingo de Mel, Figodoce

There are 2 Pingo de Mels on Adriano's site, a small and a large, both honey figs from Portugal.  Jon has 1 listed:

PINGO DE MEL
SYN: CROISIC, CORDELIA, GILLETTE, ST. JOHN
DESCRIPTION
A large green to yellow fig with sweet translucent flesh, very similar to White Marseilles. (089)

Rcantor,

Thanks I must of written down the name wrong.

I have a Pingo de Mel and the Doce. The doce is a very sweet fig, good flavor.

I have a Gillette. Pretty robust grower. Should get first figs this year. Last year I pinched them all.

Hello Everybody,

A couple of years ago bought a potted fig meant to be buying a polliniser tree or a caprifig. It was winter, by about this time...nice, strong tree in a 20 Liter pot. In that same season, a  dozen or even more  figs develloped and by August they were ripe, edible and sweet! (but not very good)
The seller then on my remarks appologised and clarified: He had sold me  a Croisic fig. Green, pear shaped average size withish pulp. My understanding is that Croisic iis in fact a particular edible caprifig. But much different from Pingo de Mel which is shown on the enclosed pictures.

Pingo de Mel is a honey fig, super fruit, very sweet and flavored, and for those loving dry figs, this one is ideal for that process under full sun or with the help of a drier
I am not absolutely sure but it may be synonim to Kadota and Dottato ?

The figs shown on the pictures have been certainly visited by the minute wasp, thus that full pulp and lots of syrup!

Sue, with the  help from a nearby caprifig, now you could try and do a boosting to your Pingo de Mel and see what comes out.
Cheers
Francisco

Francisco I agree with you Croisic and Pingo de mel are not the same fig not even close. The Pingo de Mel I am familiar with is like you said something like a dottato, Kadota or close relative of those.

Also Caprified kadota's generally have greenish skin with red pulp I have got them a few times when buying kadota's at the grocery store from california. Caprified Kadota's taste much much better.

Hi Nelson,
The paper written by Manuel Weiholtz in 1883 lists the most popular varieties in the Algarve province at that time, and Pingo de Mel is not there. This old variety was cultivated mostly in Lisbon, the Center Provinces , namely Santarém. Later and slowly  it came down to the Algarve where farmers prefered this variety to the standard white Côtio or Malagueño,  mostly to produce dry figs for export.
Cultivated by the ' book of best practices' ,and boosted by the caprifigs (which were and still are all over today!) the variety Pingo de Mel is in no way inferior to the Sari Lop , LopIngir, Kalamata, etc..

Mel do Algarve and Figo Doce (names I have not heard before) may well be regional names, most in the popular habits of the people, to mean this Pingo de Mel. I am not sure if they cultivate this fig in the Islands of Madeire and Açores. The last piece of information I obtained from Madeira it was not there.
However, the one I mentioned above (Côtio) is still current in Madeira under the name of 'Cote'.

Once we talk of Madeira, have you any Madeira variety called 'Anjinho' ?

cheers
Francisco

Francisco unfortunately I don't have anjinho yet working on it. My mother is going to Madeira today for 2 weeks so we will see what happens.

Nullzero,
Mel do Algarve, is similar to 'Pingo de Mel', just bigger(Almost double the size) and is my earliest and best fig in the orchard. I'll take proper pics of Mel do Algarve, this year. 

Figo Doce, is a small sized fig with golden flesh and very sweet...very productive. 

Figo Doce, pics!

Pingo de Mel

Welcome to the forum, Steven!  I'm sure you have lots to teach us!

Hi Steven,
welcome to the fig forum. I am from and now based in the Algarve and curious of that variety of yours 'Mel do Algarve'...you say similar to Pingo de Mel (*) but much bigger. Do you know if this variety is a true Madeira fig or was it taken from the 'Continente' back in time.. like the Côtio, Figo Preto,Beberas, etc eventually other cultivars.
(*) On some years Pingo de Mel produces good brebas (and they are big!)

3 other fig varieties which I am told are now common  in the Islands are CASTANHOL - SUSENO and PATA DE BURRO.

CASTANHOL - is a close variation of LAMPEIRA PRETA very similar fruit which changed name whem ages ago migrated to the Northern Provinces . By mid June it is sold in markets around Lisbon under the name Castanhol side by side with Lampos Pretos from  Algarve.

SUSENO - is entirely new to me. Have no clue on its origins

PATA DE BURRO - Apparently a regional name for a Brown Turkey fig. a large fruit, dark brown with violet shades  and somehow with an assimetrical shape.

Hope you may clarify and/or comment on above, and I do understand that this subject of fig names is in most cases very confusing.

Francisco

Are fig varieties in Portugal given names based on their appearance or description? Mel which translates to honey, could there be genetically different varieties with the same Pingo de Mel name, because of the drop of honey?

Bass,

I am sure Portugal is no exception to what is common rule all over.
The answer is yes, like it happens in France, Spain, Italy, etc..people attach names to figs and everything according to their minds and likes.
The Min Ag in their guides to the fig culture, around 50 yr ago indicated that Pingo de Mel is synonym to Moscatel (white).
A good deal of varieties through ideal maturation conditions show that 'drop of honey' but are not called that.. In that particular variety (see the pic showing various halves of Pingo de Mel,  which I believe was subject to involuntary caprification) those figs do display through ripeness that drop of honey and when opened up in halves ..they are 'all syrupy honey'... think this could well be the drive to give birth to the popular name 'Pingo de Mel'.


Francisco

Hi Rcantor and Francisco,
Thanks for the warm welcome. :) 

Francisco,
I don't know the origin of Mel do Algarve, as my grandparents passed away, when i was still young...so I can't ask where this fig came from...though, i'm certain that this fig is not native to here. People here have the tendency to attribute cultivars with others names...making the identification difficult or close to impossible. I'm aware of the brebas, or lampos as they are called here...the size of the fig is consistent with both crops and the flavor is not the same as pingo de mel...this year, i'll do a side by side with mel do algarve and pingo de mel. This will  be the best way to display the differences of the two. 

I was blown away when a friend from Faro..shared a list of the native figs and now I'm on the hunt for these native fig varieties, but it ain't been easy...as I have only found Bebera preta and pingo de mel for sale.   

I think the two hardest varieties to find will be genovês and anjinho. Both quite rare

I had thought that Cotio branca was an excellent fig, I am just curious why the Pingo de mel replaced it, is it the flavour, time of ripening, yield?

Steven,

I am very much interested to help and  clarify this problem of that 'Mel do Algarve'.

After endless visits and talks with a good deal of people I have now almost finalized a tentative list of old varieties with:

Grupo of Cachopeiros  -  14 varieties still active

Grupo San Pedro - 04 varieties well identified and possibly 4 more

Grupo Comum - 18 varieties well identified and producing , more to be identified

Grupo Smyrna - 12 varieties well identified , may be 3 or 4 more.

Grupo of Caprifigs - At least 4 varieties

I shall not put names on these figs as I do not wish to add  to the ongoing confusion . I shall keep the names I was given  without any mention, as for one particular cultivar there are already  various names.
I hope that slowly and having as a master list the Weinholtz paper of 1883 , to be gradually showing those figs and their respective names.

If you looking for any particular variety please let me know. Nurseries do have several varieties but not very many. Sometimes I doubt of what we buy there...had already some unpleasant surprises.

Francisco